This project was part of a Unified Youth Exchange between Special Olympics Mexico and a Special Olympics North America program. Through the Exchange, Youth Leaders collaborated to identify challenges related to inclusion in their communities and develop projects to address them.

Andrik and Pablo are Youth Leaders from Mexico City, Mexico, who used their project to expand inclusive opportunities for young people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in segregated schools. They aimed to raise awareness of Special Olympics and showcase the abilities and potential of all young people in their school communities.
The project was inspired by its participants, particularly Andrik’s sister, who is a Special Olympics athlete.
The Youth Leaders organized awareness talks for students at local schools and created opportunities for young people with and without IDD to participate in Unified activities. These activities included tabling at the local YMCA, hosting Unified paddles, and organizing themed tabling events in the community.
The project raised awareness about inclusion among students and members of the broader community through school presentations and community events. During the Exchange, Andrik and Pablo also valued the opportunity to hear perspectives from other Youth Leaders in Mexico and across North America.

The Youth Leaders successfully organized Unified activities for young people, achieving their project objectives and receiving strong student participation and positive feedback.

Andrik and Pablo plan to continue promoting inclusion by building on the connections they established with local schools. They look forward to organizing similar activities in the future!
Throughout the project, Andrik and Pablo strengthened their public speaking skills. Their favorite memories included preparing presentations for local schools and organizing new activities with students.